This field of cars was once owned by friends of mine, but I drifted out of contact with them over the past few years after I moved out of town. Since the collection in this field is up for auction, I took the opportunity to pay another visit after a five-or-so-year absence. These cars were mostly crusher-bound when my friends saved them and squirreled them away here. While storage in long grass is not great for old cars, it still beats recycling into a fridge or a Kia. In this first installment, let’s look at the most American of all British cars: The first-generation F-series Vauxhall Victor.

The F-series was sold from 1957 to 1961. There are actually two in the yard; this yellow one is from the more flamboyant first series. Anyone having even a passing familiarity with automobiles can tell what influenced the Victor’s styling: it looks like a shrunk-in-the-dryer 1955 Chevy.

The styling works rather nicely on the Chevrolet, but it appears a bit too narrow and tall on the Vauxhall’s 98″ wheelbase, like a nice but slightly ill-fitting suit. At the time, Vauxhall was very much under the control of its parent company, GM, and nothing reflected that more clearly than styling. In the mid-1950s, Vauxhall was peddling its somewhat dated Wyvern, Velox and Cresta sedans, which essentially were variations on the same car. They desperately needed something smaller and more modern.

The Victor was powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that had been reworked to use the better-grade fuels that were now widely available in the UK. Compression had been increased to 7.8:1, and a new cylinder head and new manifolds eliminated the Wyvern’s siamesed intake ports. Fitted with a single Zenith carburetor, it produced 55 hp @ 4,200 rpm, which allowed for easy cruising at 60 mph, and also featured a rather un-British short-stroke design, with a 79.3 mm bore and 76.2 mm stroke.

Much of the new Victor’s look, feel and chassis design was dictated by Detroit. The initial design came from Luton, but it was subsequently tweaked and finished in Detroit by Fisher Body. Styling influences are pure ’50s GM Design Center, as GM insisted on the inclusion of a wrap-around panoramic windshield to distinguish the car in the European market. There was also a heavy, full-width grille and jet-inspired rear bumpers (through which the exhaust was routed), lots of chrome brightwork, including flutes on the bonnet and side spears, and a rear-door crease. The styling, which must have been quite a sight for rather conservative British buyers, was roundly panned by the British press.

The Victor was sold in both base and Super trim levels. To further emphasize its American style, the Victor came with a standard front bench seat and column- mounted, three-speed manual gearbox. The latter provided another sore point for a British press used to floor-mounted four-speeds. A few years later, Vauxhall offered optional Newtondrive, a semi-automatic transmission that neither sold nor worked well.

The interior also had a distinctly American vibe; there was no wood to be seen, and chromed pieces provided detailing touches. Under the skin, though, the Victor was more conventionally European: It used unibody construction, and was suspended with coils and a-arms up front and leaves and a live axle out back. Four-wheel drum brakes handling stopping duty, steering was a recirculating-ball setup, and wheels were 13 inches in diameter.

These Victors were sold by Canadian and U.S. Pontiac dealers, and sold modestly well in the U.S. The familiar styling was probably provided an advantage over some of the more European-looking captive imports at other dealerships.

As with most imports, price became a factor, as a base version of a larger American car could be had for not much more. This one is being advertised for $1975; the cheapest Pontiac in 1958 would have been about $2600.

For Canada only Chevrolet dealers got their own version to sell as the Envoy starting in 1960.The estate station wagon got the name Sherwood.

In Canada, however, they sold very well; in fact, they were the second best-selling import behind the Volkswagen Beetle. While finding one in the Western provinces isn’t terribly uncommon, you’ll usually see these parked in a field and not on the road–actually, over the last 15 years I recall only two that were able to move under their own power. Out east, the road salt used in winter quickly caused most Victors to rust away, which earned the early examples a reputation as some of the most rapidly rusting cars ever made, one which it took years for Vauxhall to overcome in the U.K.

In response to press complaints, Vauxhall slightly overhauled the Victor to create the 1959 Series II. Gone was the bumper-enclosed exhaust that invited massive corrosion. The hood lost its dual chrome accents, the grille was revised, and bumpers were simplified. Even the rear door lost its scalloping. A new top-line DeLuxe trim level featured attractive two-tone paint, and for the second year there was a now-rare estate station wagon variant. Interestingly, Vauxhall never saw fit to produce a two-door or a convertible. For 1960, a few more cosmetic changes were made to the grille and dashboard. A cleanly- styled Victor FB replacement would come along in 1962.

This green one was a running driver only a few years ago, but the yellow example has lived up to its rusty reputation and probably is strictly a parts car.

69 Comments

Wonderful write up. Thanks for taking me back down memory lane. Haven’t seen any of these Vauxhall’s plying Manitoba roads in decades, let alone sitting in fields. In my youth in Winnipeg these were all over the place, not as ubiquitous as Beetles perhaps. That green Super looks almost roadworthy. Maybe someone will extend it’s lease on life yet.

As in other sectors (eg retailing), the middle market is being carved away to nothing, as customers either shop premium (German or JagLR) or economy (far-eastern makes). There are some exceptions (of course), eg Nissan Qashqai, but in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, times are tough for Ford, Vauxhall/Opel, Renault, PSA, Fiat (except the 500), Seat (neither one thing nor t’other) etc. And another big Toyota recall won’t help their cause. No one wants bread-and-butter any more, however good some of those cars (eg Ford Mondeo) might be.

Dealers are buying inventory, then selling new cars as used with 30% discounts. This isn’t an isolated case, it’s all across Europe. Dumping cars in China and the US. Geez enough of that and they’ll show a sales increase! It’s smoke and mirrors and if they don’t adjust their capacity for reality there will be hell to pay later. They are counting on a short recession and going back to normal, all the while looking like they were on top. They are post dating a check…..but it has to be paid sooner or later.

I don’t believe that I have ever seen one of these. A fascinating car for several reasons.

It is interesting to consider GM’s hubris of that era. It is a given that the company was at its apex in the U.S. market. From there, GM decided what UK buyers wanted. A short stoke (meaning short on torque, I presume) engine mated to only 3 speeds instead of the customary 4. Very American styling that was not at all in the British tradition, and that very American 1950s trait of rustprone bodies.

It appears that this was a British 57 Chevy in all ways except one – The American 57 Chevy was an exceptionally good car that proved itself to be popular to the point of becoming an icon of the era. It does not sound as though the Victor played that same role in its home market.

Given the innate conservatism of the British car buyer in the pre- and immediately post-Mini days, GM wasn’t that far off giving the Brits this car. At least as styling was concerned. The WWII shortages had finally ended by the mid-50’s, there was a definite 50’s exuberance in the air (catch the film “Absolute Beginners” if you want a good feel of the time). Now, Americanizing the car to include a bench seat and three on the tree, well . . . . . The Brits may put up with a bench seat, but they can certainly count gears, and innate conservatism is not synonymous with willingness to be shortchanged on specs.

Good points, but do keep in mind that three-speeds (including on the tree) weren’t a uniquely American phenomena. I can’t spit out an extensive list right now, but a fair number of European cars had them, like the DKW, Volvo 444 (on the floor), and Saab, before later adding a fourth gear. I know there were others. It might have been more of a regional thing, in the flat land areas of Germany and Scandinavia. If I find the time, it would be interesting to do a more extensive survey.

I assumed my parents’ ’54 Hillman would have been a 3-on-the-tree, since I wouldn’t have thought you’d need more than 3 gears for a 0-62 mph speed range (even with a 1300 cc motor) but a quick Google search revealed a very comprehensive Popular Mechanics owners survey of the ’53 Minx and it had “four forward gears”. BTW this article in PM was a fount of detailed information, don’t know if there are similar ones for other CC’s. Not to mention getting lost in pages of Charles Atlas and “Make money in your spare time with a portable sawmill” and “Build your own TV” ads ….. not to mention a King Midget ad.

These clues – I’m sorry, but I give up, as I was almost certain it was a Checker Marathon, but something told me it wasn’t that easy – and I was right.

I had never, to my knowledge, ever seen one of these when growing up, just a Cortina here and there.

Interesting car, but it holds no interest for me, just an odd fascination. I suppose if I could actually see one, touch one, examine one, drive one, ride in one, I could appreciate one, but like all these UK and European cars, I find it near-impossible to wrap my arms around them.

These must have all rusted to dust on the roads of South Yorkshire in my youth (1980s) – the oldest Vauxhalls I remember seeing then were the mid-sixties FC series successors to the Victor nameplate. Memory says they still carried the brand’s reputation for being water soluble.

With regards to the proportions, I think there might be an element of familiarity and expectation at work in David’s impression of these as too narrow and tall – to my eye it has surprisingly pleasing proportions, but I’m much less familiar with the source – perhaps it’s akin to enjoying a cover version of a song when you didn’t know the original?

I still remember seeing these in the lot of Victor Cadillac/Pontiac in Johnstown, PA on the way to either take or pick up my aunt (who lived with us) at her job at one of the local hospitals. I always found them rather neat cars, and definitely throw my vote in with the “please fix it up soon” crowd for the green one. I would enjoy owning one, although I’d still give a like vintage Hillman Minx a slight priority.

And man, did they get a reputation as rust buckets. Johnstown, PA believed in salting the roads, which means that none of these has survived in that area. I seriously doubt that any of them made it to 1965, for that matter. Their reputation for rust was such that a Vega was a W124 in comparison.

Family lore (I was 3 at the time and can’t remember myself) was that my Mom test drove one of these before she bought our 1960 Volvo PV544. I do remember finding a brochure in the house (along with a Ford Consul brochure) sometime in the ’60’s but of course didn’t think it was worth keeping. I remember seeing these in very small numbers on the streets … pretty much gone by the end of the ’60’s, presumably replaced by also-soon-to-be-orphaned Opels and Cortinas. This was in California, BTW.

Great find, and excellent addition to our archives. I remember seeing these at the Pontiac dealer in Iowa City in ’60-’61; it might have been in the service bays than in the showroom.

They never sold nearly as well in the US as the comparable vintage Opel Rekord, which looked somewhat similar, but was very common. I used to see old Rekords well into the seventies. I’d love to find one now. Is there one in that field?

No Opels in the field. Opels in general are very rare in Canada. They were only sold for a very short time maybe in the 1970s if at all as we generally got British cars instead. Back in the 1950s the British cars had an advantage as cars in the British Commonwealth didn’t have to pay import that a German Opel would have.

I’m old enough to remember seeing the occasional one of these when they were still fairly new. The idea of a shrunken 1955 Chevrolet sounds okay until one looks at the rear bumper/taillight assortment, which is more reminiscent of a shrunken Buick.

My strongest memory of these Vauxhalls is the auditory sensation of riding inside a kettle drum. Maybe it was the unibody construction combined with absolutely zero sound isolation materials? The occasional drive in our neighbour’s car to their cottage (on a gravel road) was painful even for a 10 year old!

My Fiero alert just went off. (Yes, I know it’s irritating when some goober totally ignores the subject vehicle & wants to know about the backdrop crap). Oh well, so what’s up with the Fieros? I see snow so it’s obviously far enough away from me to be a potential “issue”.

There were two of them. Both four cylinder cars I think. The brown one was manual but had no steering column. I can’t remember what gearbox was in the other one. They looked decent enough but I suspect they were saved from the scrapyard 7-10 years back and sitting in the field since.

David,
Thanks for the post! Having recognized them as Alberta cars I found the auction on Kijiji and am now on the bidding on the two PA Crestas. I’ve got three already, if can land even one of these I think I may just have enough parts to actually start putting something together. Attached is a photo of the best of the bunch now residing in my side yard…

Hi David,
My email is postmandougie@yahoo.ca. I’d like some other photos for my own interest, but I already placed some bids; I thought as you did and kept them low. I paid $250 each for my other ones, so I thought that was about right…

The wrap-around windscreen with dog-leg pillars was common in Detroit, but American cars were B.O.F construction. On the unibody victor it ensured the “chassis” was not particularly rigid, and steel that is highly stressed rusts even more quickly than it otherwise would.Transatlantic styling worked far better on the larger Vauxhalls, and the second generation Victor was a very handsome car.

I don’t recall newer Vauxhalls, nor Crestas of any vintage (nor Standard Vanguards … is that what the blue wagon is?) in the States. Were they officially sold in Canada? And what is that next to the VW Thing …. almost looks like Peugeot 403 (that was pretty common here and there’s one languishing in a driveway a few blocks from my house) but the grill and badge look wrong.

The “full-size” Vauxhalls may have been sold in North America when Vauxhalls first went on sale here (around 1958), but if they were, they did not sell well and were quickly dropped. The Victor was always Vauxhall’s main product here.

GM withdrew Vauxhall from the U.S. market around 1962, but Vauxhall products continued to be sold in Canada for a number of years after that. The Victor and its badge-engineered Envoy twin (sold by Chevrolet dealers) were imported into Canada through 1970, as were the smaller Vauxhall Viva and badge-engineered Envoy Epic (which were first introduced around 1964). This lineup was eliminated at the end of the 1970 model year to avoid conflict with GM’s new North American-built Chevrolet Vega, but in 1971-72 Canadian Pontiac dealers sold the Vauxhall Firenza sports coupe, badged as just the “Firenza”, not as a Vauxhall. For the 1973 model year Pontiac introduced a badge-engineered version of the Vega in Canada, the Astre, and the Vauxhall-sourced cars finally went away.

As mentioned earlier, Vauxhall’s greater popularity in Canada seems to have been due to 1) favorable import status for British cars in Canada, which allowed them to be sold for a lower price and 2) GM not selling Opels in Canada, due to a combination of reason #1 plus the fact that Buick shared a dealer network with Pontiac in Canada (had Opels been sold in Canada, they would have been sold by the same dealers who sold Vauxhalls, but would have been noticeably more expensive).

Standard Vanguards were sold here as well from 1948 to 1960-ish. I have a 1962 Vanguard Vignale, but it was available only by special order and I believe I have the only one imported that year, below is a photo of mine…

Take a closer look, that’s my baby! Taken at the History Road show sometime in the past few years. The “Anabell” plate is the giveaway. When I bought the car the car was listed as a Standard Vanguard “Annabelle” on the bill of sale. Apparently the original owner named her that, I thought it fitting to keep the name…

Nice trip down memory lane. Late sixties, and early seventies,the Victor and the Envoys were a common sight. Give them five or six Ontario winters,and they turned to dust. Too bad, because parts were cheap,and they were easy to fix.

If we knew then, what we know, about rust proofing, you might have got 15 or twenty years out of them.

I do have a soft spot for Vauxhalls. My first car was a red 1962 Victor, bought as a student in 1969 in Nova Scotia for $300. The front seat rails dropped through the rusted-out floor pan one day a month after I bought it (kind of a shock, even at the age of 19), but the motor was always very willing and had a nice 4 cylinder growl to it. In spite of the rust problem it gave the impression of a tough, almost truck-like, little car.

An uncle in London (UK) owned a 1937 Vauxhall convertible through the 1950’s and early ’60’s. When my family visited in 1959 we rented a new Velox, but on a drive to Devon for a week’s stay in the country I chose to drive with my uncle & aunt in the ’37. I remember driving on 2 lane A & B roads in the sunshine with the top down, probably doing all of 40 mph.

My father had two Victors from new – a ’57 and a ’59. Quite practical cars in fact, but a bit under-geared, and much more intrusive road noise than the contemporary Austins and Hillmans. They did seem very flimsily built – if you tapped the steel of the front door, the sound was much tinnier than on a Ford Consul, say.

I am curious about one thing: how was it that Opel, although obviously interpreting a similar overall philosophy, managed to escape the tackier extremes of Detroit styling? The late 50s Rekord is a much more restrained cousin to the Victor, with a better implementation of the panoramic windscreen. And I am not sure that Opel acquired the same reputation for rust (although I may be wrong). Was Vauxhall more ‘under the thumb’ of Detroit than Opel? I get the impression that Opel generally enjoyed a more favourable climate at head office.

Hi everyone, I am currently restoring a F type Vauxhall Victor and could urgently do with the horn ring and the gear lever and indicator stalks. Can anyone sell me them please? And do you intend to sell the whole cars you have and where are they located if the intention is to sell? Thanks mate, Ron.